


The Unspeakable Chapters of 'The Trick to the Bike'

by LonelyIntrovert



Series: The Trick to the Bike [2]
Category: Call the Midwife, pupcake - Fandom
Genre: Breast cancer, Emotional, F/F, Feels, Fluff, Foreplay, Gen, Smut, Surgery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 09:45:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7503610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelyIntrovert/pseuds/LonelyIntrovert
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A set of chapters stemming from "The Trick to the Bike" that divert for a bit because I don't want to do any youngsters a frighten.  Rated M for adult themes and a lot of emotional stuff.  Bear with me, and before this even starts, NO ONE GETS HARMED.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thank God for Foreplay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Habitsandbicycles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Habitsandbicycles/gifts).



> I'm sorry, I'm a terrible person.
> 
> I took an intimate scene and destroyed it.
> 
> Please, please, please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Patsy woke lazily to the distant rumblings of thunder. She yawned and stretched before rolling over and spooning Delia, who must’ve come to bed after Patsy fell asleep.

“Are you awake?” Patsy murmured, pressing her lips on the junction of Delia’s neck and shoulder.

“I am now, silly,” Delia whispered back, turning over to face her wife.

The two smiled softly at each other, Patsy’s fingers plucking at Delia’s sleeve idly as the brunette curled a lock of ginger hair out of Patsy’s face. 

And without any prompting, the two leant in for a gentle, yet passionate kiss.

Patsy smiled against Delia’s lips as she worked her hands into her dark tresses.

She loved how easy this had become.

To think that their first time they had tried so desperately to blunder across pleasure, their movements blind and shy. But those days were long gone.

She no longer worried about doing the ‘right thing’; she had since memorized that. She had worshipped Delia’s body, year after year, and it just got better and better. The very image of Delia coming undone was the most beautiful thing God could have graced the ginger with. The ecstasy and bliss that Patsy brought to her echoed in her ears and Patsy would fall in love all over again. 

Patsy hummed contentedly into Delia’s mouth as she crawled on top of the brunette. Delia’s hands slid underneath the waistband of Patsy’s shorts and she grasped her buttocks, making Patsy moan. Patsy pressed her tongue eagerly against Delia’s lips, and was soon granted entry into her mouth. The brunette’s hands moved up and irritably tugged at Patsy’s shirt before roaming underneath it and grasping eagerly at a breast. Chuckling at Delia’s impatience, Patsy leaned back, straddling the brunette as she locked a lustful gaze with hers.

The brunette placed her hands on Patsy’s waist as the ginger removed her tank top, her torso now bare. Delia’s eyes openly ravished Patsy’s exposed body, making the taller woman blush slightly. Patsy leaned back down and gave Delia a brazen kiss before the brunette broke it off and moved down to press her lips reverently on Patsy’s breasts. Patsy freely moaned, her breath hitching as she felt the heat pooling in her groin. They didn’t need to worry about Ellie; she was of the age where she had enough sense to both not come running into their room in the middle of the night and to also ignore any sounds she might hear.

Patsy reached down and hooked Delia’s knickers with her fingers before tugging them down lazily, letting her hands roam along the curve of her buttocks, down the slope of the back of her muscled thighs, and the elegant dip of her calves. After tossing the garment casually to the floor, Patsy returned her attention to Delia’s rather needy mouth. Delia’s hands wound into Patsy’s hair as the ginger bit her bottom lip gently, drawing a strangled gasp from the other. 

Patsy grinded her hips against Delia’s waist wantonly before reaching underneath Delia’s nightshirt and feeling along the brunette’s navel. Patsy relished the feel of the soft, feathery skin beneath her hands that quavered as Delia gasped for breath. She probed strong abdominal muscles that grew taunt with every needy squirm. Patsy glanced up and felt her heart swell at the sight of open lust on her wife’s face.

Eager to satisfy, Patsy tugged Delia’s shirt up and over her breasts, making it bunch up around her shoulders. Delia wriggled out of it swiftly and soon Patsy had lowered her lips to Delia’s navel, her hands now exploring the brunette’s gloriously nude body without interruption. Delia’s back arched with pleasure as Patsy kissed a few inches below her belly button, where her waistband would have been. The ginger then migrated up, kissing the valley running vertically down the center of her abdomen as her hands grazed up her sides and groped her soft breasts.

Reaching the desired spot, Patsy took a breast in her mouth, swirling her tongue around a harden nipple as Delia moaned and her hips bucked, her groin rubbing up against Patsy’s stomach. Slightly in awe about how aroused they both seemed to be, Patsy moved to the other one, wanting her wife to be good and ready when she moved down below.

But then Patsy froze, her whole body going rigid.

No. It couldn’t be.

But there it was.

Delia’s expression went from impatience to concern in a matter of seconds as she gazed at Patsy, who hadn’t moved from her breast. Patsy wasn’t a tease, she was.

“What?” the brunette demanded.

Wordlessly, in an almost cautious motion, Patsy grasped Delia’s left hand and pulled it up to feel the underside of her left breast. Hand still over the top of Delia’s, Patsy pressed gently, her suddenly alarmed and serious gaze not leaving her wife’s. Delia frowned initially, but then her jaw dropped as she felt it.

A small, hardened mass, right THERE.

“Does that hurt?” Patsy asked softly.

“No…” Delia answered truthfully, though her wind was short-circuiting. Was it supposed to hurt?!

Swiftly, Patsy rolled off of her wife and flicked the light on, the amorous mood long gone. Delia lay there, frozen, her palm pressing gently on the lump in shock.

The brunette then looked at her wife, her stunned expression mirrored in Patsy’s face.

“Delia…” Patsy began slowly, “We should…get that…”

“It’s midnight,” Delia choked, a panicked expression on her face.

Patsy, ever the logical and stubborn one, frowned for a moment.

“The Pregnancy Center has a…a…”

“There won’t be a technician,” Delia pointed out, her tone suddenly emotionless.

“They will page one,” Patsy said, raising up and fishing around for her discarded clothes. Delia resembled a lost puppy as she just watched Patsy get dressed. Biting her lip, Patsy took sympathy and began setting out clothes for her to wear. When the brunette didn’t move, Patsy gently began to dress her, pressing kisses on her exposed skin before she covered it up. 

“Come on, Deels,” Patsy urged, though her voice quavered. Shaking herself as if roused from a great slumber, Delia allowed Patsy to pull her on her feet before the ginger knelt down to grasp her shorts and slowly tug them up, after she had made sure to press a kiss on her navel. After she was dressed, Patsy took her hand and led her out of their room, into the kitchen. Picking up her keys from the countertop, Patsy pressed them into Delia’s hand.

“Go start the car, I’ll go tell Ellie we are leaving,” Patsy whispered. Delia’s hand clenched Patsy’s and didn’t release it as her whole body began to tremble.

“Pats,” Delia said in a strangled voice.

Patsy lifted Delia’s chin up and forced the brunette to look into her tearful eyes. 

“I love you, Delia,” Patsy murmured, before pressing her forehead against her wife’s and closing her eyes.

She took a shuddering breath and added, “I’m not going to lose you again.”

The ginger suddenly felt Delia’s mouth crash onto hers, in a needy, passionate fashion. And then the Welsh woman broke it off and began to walk towards the door like a zombie.


	2. A Hard Pill to Swallow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patsy takes Delia to the hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know how you are liking (disliking?) this

Patsy shook their daughter awake.

“I…what the hell mum,” Ellie grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

“Ellie,” Patsy whispered, “I’m taking your mam to the hospital.”

Ellie immediately shot up.

“What?! What’s wrong, what’s happened?!”

“I…we… She needs something checked out,” Patsy said vaguely.

“What?”

Patsy sucked in a breath and looked up at the ceiling. God, this was hard.

“We found…a lump…”

Ellie stared at her mum, opened mouthed. The statement was pretty universal.

“She’s 34,” Ellie whispered in shock. Patsy sat down next to her daughter.

“I know,” she said, fighting off tears, “but it could be anything…it doesn’t have to be…”

“Cancer,” Ellie finished softly. There was a pause.

“I’m coming with you,” Ellie said, making to get up.

“I…no, you have school!” Patsy exclaimed.

“And my mam might have cancer!”

“Ellie,” Patsy said urgently, grasping her daughter by the shoulders, “I know you want to come, I know you love her… but she wouldn’t want you to come, sweetie. You know how she is; she wouldn’t want you to worry.”

“But I am worrying.”

“I know,” Patsy soothed, “but let us figure out what’s going on before we worry too much, okay?”

Ellie looked like she was going to refuse, but then she slowly nodded her head. Patsy kissed her brow before rising up.

“Call us in the morning if we’re not back, alright?” Patsy said at the doorway.

“Okay.”

*****^*****

“Patsy, Delia!” a nurse exclaimed at the sight of her friends, soaked and disheveled as they walked into the lobby.

Patsy was holding Delia’s hand and seemed to be guiding her around.

“Is there a nursing expert here?” Patsy asked in a strained voice.

“Well, of course there is! Why do you ask?” the friend inquired with a frown.

“Delia…needs to be examined,” Patsy said slowly, hoping the meaning would come across. The nurse’s eyes widened.

“I…I’m afraid we don’t have a Mammogram technician here,” she murmured, stepping closer to the pair, “but we will see what we can do.”

*****^*****

Patsy sat in the corridor, leg jiggling up and down as she felt the urge to light up. Placing her head in her hands, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced at the clock. Two in the morning. The ginger looked back down at her feet and continued with her restless movement. She heard footsteps and her head snapped up.

“Here ya’ go,” her friend, Jackie, said as she handed her a cup of coffee before taking the seat next to her. Patsy took the Styrofoam cup with numb hands. 

“Thanks,” Patsy mumbled.

“I rang the tech,” Jackie murmured, “He says he’ll be here around five…apparently your name has gotten around to Chelsea.”

Patsy gave a short, dry laugh that came out choked. The dark-haired woman bit her lip anxiously before placing a reassuring hand on Patsy’s back.

“Patsy, everything is going to be alright,” she said soothingly. The ginger fidgeted.

“I don’t want to lose her,” Patsy whispered hoarsely, fighting off tears.

“You won’t,” Jackie said with utter certainty.

The two looked up as the door opened and the Nursing technician, Dr. Palstine, came out.

The woman spotted Patsy and stepped towards her with an extended hand.

“You must be Delia’s wife,” she said simply as they shook hands. Patsy numbly nodded.

“Well, I’m not an oncologist,” she said briskly, “but a mammogram is most definitely in order. Your wife is otherwise in fine shape, and the mass seems to be exceedingly small and intact, which is promising.”

Patsy lowered her gaze and fitfully nodded at the floor.

“May I…go…” Patsy asked hoarsely, gesturing desperately at the examination room.

“Of course you can,” Dr. Palstine said, “We will come get you when the technician arrives.”

Patsy didn’t remember opening the door, or how she managed to move her legs into the room. All she knew was Delia, sitting on the examination table, wearing a hospital gown, tears streaking down her face. 

“Darling,” Patsy sputtered, dashing over to her.

And then she felt the brunette wrap her arms desperately around her, she smelled her scent and felt her sobbing against her shoulder and all she could do was hold her beautiful wife.


	3. The Truth that No One Wants to Hear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm just so sorry

Five hours later, Patsy opened the door to let a zombie-like Delia into their house.

The red head trailed after the Welshwoman into the living room and watched as she fell onto the couch, staring at the TV screen blankly. Patsy warily followed until she was sitting next to her, waiting for the other to say something. She quietly observed her red, swollen eyes, and her untidy hair still damp from her tears.

“Delia,” Patsy breathed guardedly.

The brunette blinked.

“I need to call my mam,” she croaked, though she made no movement to do so.

Softly, as if touching a deity, Patsy reached up and reverently brushed her fingertips along Delia’s cheek, making the other draw a shaky breath.

“You need to get some sleep, darling,” Patsy murmured softly.

Very slowly, Delia turned to face Patsy.

“I can’t,” she gasped, fresh tears beginning to trail down her cheeks. Patsy lent forward and pressed her lips over Delia’s, tasting the salt from her tears.

“You are so magnificent, sweetie,” Patsy shushed, pressing Delia back on the couch, “I love you so much.”

Delia pulled back from the kiss, her hands forming into fists as she clutched Patsy’s jacket frantically.

“Patsy, I’m so scared,” she gasped before breaking off into a sob.

“Of course you are, sweetie,” Patsy said in a hoarse voice, “I’m here for you, Deels, I’ve got you.”

“I know you are,” Delia wept, pulling the other in for a frantic kiss.

Their kissing continued until Delia broke down into silent sobs that racked her body, and her tears soaked Patsy’s T-shirt. The red head had allowed a few silent tears streak down her own face, but kept on trying to remind herself to stay strong. Patsy brushed her lips on Delia’s brow, and remained still as the brunette’s sobs disintegrated into sputtering gasps before completely ceasing altogether. It took Patsy several moments to realize that she had in fact cried herself to sleep. Moving lithely, Patsy gently disentangled her limps from Delia’s before fixing her arms underneath her form and lifting up with a soft grunt.

Patsy was never the athletic type.

Okay, that was partially a lie.

In her late teens she had developed quite the arm for fencing, but any other sports involved to too much dependency on other people or were too personal for her liking. While she always had the heart for sports, she never flaunted it to other people. She preferred to enjoy it on her own time, and when she did she was very good at it. 

But as she picked up her wife in bridal fashion, it no longer mattered about her physique or skill in the gym. What mattered was that Delia needed to get from the couch to their bed without her beautiful, blessed feet touching the ground. The least that could be said was that Patsy surprised herself with her own strength as she gently deposited Delia on the bed before removing her shoes and tucking her in. Wiping away her own tears, Patsy left the room and softly shut the door, needing to think things through.

She wondered into the kitchen in a daze. She had initially intended to put the kettle on, but she soon forgot that idea, seating herself on a stool at the counter. The ginger sat there for God knows how long, staring into nothingness and her mind going blank.

Delia had breast cancer.

The name ‘Delia’ and the term ‘breast cancer’ sounded weird in the same sentence together. In fact, it seemed almost damnable that they were; a sin against nature. The brunette was too cheery, too good to be ill with such a disease. She was too young. Only old people on those nursing home ads got cancer. People who didn’t exercise properly, or eat right; something Delia did every day. Delia had done nothing to deserve this; it was perverse that she did.

It was WRONG.

Patsy placed her elbows on the counter and buried her face in her hands.

She had already almost lost Delia during the Unspeakable car accident, why was this happening to them? It wasn’t fair. 

But then again, Patsy was being irrational. She was in denial.

Her body started shaking and Patsy began to gasp for breath, and it took several moments for her to realize she was sobbing. She cried bitterly for an indiscernible amount of time, until her phone buzzed.

It was a text from Trixie. Oh right. To other people, the world was still turning while theirs crumbled to dust in the matter of a day.

-Hey, wanna go for drinks tonight?!- 11:45 am

Patsy took some shuddering deep breaths before wiping away her tears with the back of her sleeve.

Now came the hard part.

Delia needed to sleep; the poor soul would have to go back in the next day to finalize a treatment plan with the oncologist that Dr. Turner referred them to. They said surgery looked like the best option, but that was if the mass hadn’t travelled to other parts of the body. Patsy stared at her phone numbly, not knowing what to say. How does one reveal that one’s wife was riddled with cancer to their best friend?

How did you tell said wife’s parents?

…your coworkers?

…your daughter?

Patsy laid her head on the counter to stifle her remaining sniffles as she tried to regain her thoughts. Normally this was a conversation one had face-to-face, but Delia was exhausted and quite frankly, Patsy wasn’t in the mood for company. The ginger could call Trixie, and tell her coworkers. Delia would want to tell her mother and father.

Patsy got up and went to the cabinet before pouring a glass of whiskey and drinking it straight. She then brought up her conversation with Trixie and punched the call button at the top.

It rang twice.

“Patsy? Is it your lunch break?” Trixie asked automatically in disbelief. They hardly ever had breaks that over lapped.

Numbly, Patsy also remembered that yes, she had work that day. And no, she did not call in sick. That was probably why she had so many missed calls.

“Trix-” Patsy choked, suddenly not able to find the words to tell her.

“Yes? Is everything alright?”

Patsy glanced at her empty glass before releasing a half sob.

“No,” she wept simply.

For several minutes Trixie listened to Patsy sobbing on the other line, beyond words.

“What’s wrong?!” Trixie exclaimed softly, when the sobbing abated somewhat, already guessing the severity of it. Nothing made Patsy Mount weep like that.

“D-Delia,” the ginger stuttered, “We found out…sh-she has cancer…breast c-cancer.”

There was silence on the other line.

“Oh…my God,” Trixie breathed softly, her voice stricken, “I…oh, Patsy! Oh my God!”

Soon the pixie-haired blonde was crying in disbelief.

“Patsy!” she wept, “I’m so sorry! How…how is she? Is she bad?”

“She’s so scared, Trix,” Patsy whispered, taking deep, shaky breaths, “I…I don’t know what to tell her. I…I have to be strong for her, but I’m scared too!” It felt good to finally confess her feelings without having to worry her already occupied wife with them.

“Of course you are darling! Especially after…after…” Trixie stammered, “Do you need me to come over?”

“I think we’re good,” Patsy gasped, “She’s finally fallen asleep, and I have to tell Ellie…”

Ellie.

Oh…SHIT.

“You haven’t told her yet?!” Trixie whispered hoarsely.

“It’s something we have to tell her together, face-to-face,” Patsy mumbled.

“Okay. Do you need anything? Just say the word, I’ll do it.”

“No, thank you Trixie,” Patsy murmured, “I just…I can’t…”

“I know, sweetie, I know,” Trixie shushed, “You sound like you need some sleep too. Go to her, hold on to her; I’ll call later tonight, okay? You need her, Patsy, I can hear it in your voice. And she definitely needs you as well.”

“Okay,” Patsy said numbly, “Thanks Trixie.”


	4. Trying to Move On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Busby-Mount family tries to rationalize whats happening.

Ellie walked into the house so quietly, Patsy almost didn’t hear her enter. The ginger sat quietly in the living room, waiting for her daughter with a bottle of Maker’s Mark sitting on the side table and a half-full tumbler in her hand. At the appearance of Ellie, Patsy gestured for her enter.

Whether her daughter noticed the tear-streaks or swollen eyes, she didn’t say anything.

She softly sat down next to Patsy, her expression anxious and frightened.

The ginger put the tumbler on the side table and turned to where they were facing each other head on.

“Where’s mam?” Ellie whispered.

“She’s sleeping, we mustn’t wake her,” Patsy murmured back.

The two eyed each other warily.

“Is it…” Ellie asked hoarsely. Her mum’s expression got terribly sorrowful before she slowly began to nod, and fresh tears began to cascade down her cheeks.

“Mum-” Ellie gasped, lurching forward and hugging the ginger as her mother hugged her tightly back. 

“I know, sweetie, I know,” Patsy murmured as her daughter’s form shook violently with sobs, “Let it out, it is okay, I have you.” 

“Is she okay?” Ellie mumbled against Patsy’s chest fitfully.

“She’s scared, honey,” Patsy whispered back, “We have to be strong for her, okay?”

Ellie nodded as she continued to weep in Patsy’s arms.

*****^*****

The next week was a blur.

Mrs. and Mr. Busby arrived the night Delia called them up and told them, making the flat suddenly very crowded. Ellie called in sick for two days, the first to let her weep in bed, (Patsy had taken Delia to an appointment, and Grandma Busby tried to rouse her from her grieving but to no avail. When they got home, Delia went in there alone and after fifteen minutes they both emerged, though no one knew what was said between them.) The second time was so that they could all go out to the park the day before Delia’s scheduled surgery.

Surgery.

The word was a menace within itself.

Patsy remembered taking Delia’s hand and leading her away from the family for a moment, taking a rather romantic stroll along the pond to an isolated bench behind some tall grasses. Several sleepless nights and having been put off food had made both of them rather gaunt and have deep bags under their eyes, along with a perpetually permanent red tint to their eyes. Sitting down, they stared at the koi fish for quite some time in silence.

“Patsy,” Delia began softly, taking her wife’s hand in hers.

The ginger squeezed it gently and glanced at the brunette.

“About tomorrow-” Delia whispered, only to be immediately shushed by her wife.

“I love you, Delia,” the ginger murmured, “In sickness and in health.”

Delia looked at the other tearfully in a pained fashion.

“I love you too, for better or for worse,” the brunette said in a hushed tone, “But if…if something happens…”

“-Delia, please, don’t you dare-”

“Patsy, let me finish,” Delia interrupted sharply, “I…I want you to know that I have always loved you, so, so much, ever since I first saw you…I…I…” She broke off as fat, hot tears slid down her cheeks and she lurched forward to press her lips on Patsy’s. The ginger eagerly complied, while gently wiping Delia’s tears away with her thumbs.

“I know, Deels,” Patsy murmured after they broke apart, “but nothing is going to happen tomorrow, other than you going in there and getting this removed and being cured of cancer.”

“You still have utter confidence in modern medicine, don’t you?” Delia said teasingly, smiling for the first time in days.

“‘Course I do,” Patsy said simply, “And in you.”


	5. Surgery Prep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delia getting ready for surgery
> 
> Disclaimer: None of this is medically backed up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!

As nature is melancholic and morbid, the unpleasantness of the next day arrived rather quickly. At nine in the morning, Patsy sat dully in the corridor before being roused by a nurse that she could enter the assigned hospital room. 

She stood and soon felt her daughter grip her hand, tightly.

The ginger glanced down and squeezed reassuringly back before stepping forward, the Busby’s a step behind them.

The room was rather spacious, with a small extension into some sort of living arrangement, with a TV and a couch by the window. But that went ignored for a moment as the trio crowded around Delia’s hospital bed, the brunette dressed in a hospital gown and a head cap over her hair. An IV had been placed over her right hand and a monitor on her forefinger. She smiled morosely at the sight of her family.

“You have about fifteen minutes, the doctor is on his way up here,” the nurse said softly, “I’ll be in here to give her some drugs and then we’ll walk her down to surgery.”

For a second the four just warily looked at each other, unsure of how to feel. They had all shed their tears, and now was the moment of truth.

“We love you, Delia,” Mrs. Busby murmured, grasping her hand, “We’ll be here when you wake up, cariad.”

“Love you too,” Delia said hoarsely, squeezing gently back. Mrs. Busby stepped back to let her quiet husband through to kiss his daughter on the brow and share a knowing look with her.

For them, nothing needed to be said.

The Busby’s pulled back, letting Ellie and Patsy file through.

“Mam…” Ellie croaked before lurching forward and hugging her Welsh mother.

Delia was quick to hug back as a few tears escaped and trailed down her cheeks.

“‘so ‘kay,” Delia murmured in Ellie’s ear. Ellie nodded slowly into Delia’s shoulder before abruptly pulling back and bitterly wiping away her tears. She spared her mother a watery smile before stepping away, and Patsy stood at her wife’s bed side.

The ginger reverently knelt down so her face was level with Delia’s. The room got oddly quiet as the atmosphere became sullenly momentous, not unlike that of a cathedral on Good Friday.

The two looked at each other for a long moment.

“Delia,” Patsy murmured softly, “Do you remember what I told you on our honeymoon?” For a moment the brunette raised her eyebrows and glanced at the rest of the family before risking a scandalous smile.

“Well, Pats, there were A LOT of things said, if I remember correctly.”

Patsy allowed herself to crack an amused smile.

Looking down at her hand as it trailed over Delia’s forearm, Patsy murmured, “I told you that you were the most beautiful thing I had ever come across and I would always love you, no matter what.”

Delia’s eyes softened as she recognized the promise.

“Yes, I remember,” Delia whispered soothingly. Patsy’s eyes slowly moved up until she locked her gaze with her wife’s. She then shifted and leaned over the bed to take Delia’s lips with her own in a chaste, yet passionate fashion, the brunette responding eagerly. Behind them, the Busby’s shifted; the last time they saw them kiss was at their wedding.

“Don’t leave me,” Delia pleaded softly as they pressed their foreheads together, just as an authoritative knock echoed in the room.

“I won’t,” Patsy promised.

*****^*****

“Now, this is just a little morphine and some suppressants to calm you down,” a nurse said, pulling out a prepared injectable. Everyone watched warily as the nurse injected it into a port in Delia’s IV and two other nurses began to detach Delia’s monitors as they prepared to move. 

A quiet moment passed, in which Patsy gently rubbed the inside of Delia’s forearm, searching for a sign that the drugs had kicked in.

The team of nurses cautioned the ginger before they tugged the bed forward and migrated into the corridor. 

The brunette suddenly gave a start.

“Jeez,” she slurred, slumping down into her mountain of pillows.

“How do you feel? Okay?” Patsy asked, suppressing a smirk.

“Yep, yep, yep!” Delia hummed, her eyes becoming glassy, “What is IN this?”

Beside them, a friendly nurse chortled as he gave the two a reassuring smile.

“We are just moving down the corridor,” he narrated as Patsy walked easily with them, the Busby’s having urged her to escort Delia to surgery, “but then you’ll have to return to the waiting room.”

“Noooo,” Delia slurred mutinously. Her eyes were fluttering as she appeared to struggle with keeping them open.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Busby-Mount,” he said sympathetically, addressing Delia, “but you will have to wait and see your wife again when you wake up.” The brunette’s hand gripped Patsy’s firmly at this, though every other part of her body seemed to be relaxing due to the drugs.

“Deels,” Patsy said sternly as they reached the double-doors and the nurses all turned and looked expectantly at the ginger. 

“Pats…no…”

With a heavy sigh, Patsy leaned down and brushed her lips on Delia’s numb ones.

“I’ll be here when you wake up, love,” she murmured, “It’s okay, you are going to be brilliant.”

“I ‘uv ‘oooh,” the brunette slurred.

“I love you too, silly,” Patsy whispered back. Delia’s grip loosened and Patsy sullenly retracted her hand. 

“We’ve got her from here,” another nurse offered with a smile.

And with that, Patsy watched as her wife disappeared beyond the doors.


	6. Coping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short little chapter of Pasty trying to stay calm during the surgery
> 
> Rated M for adult themes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment, I love getting feedback!

Patsy sat in the waiting room, her heart pounding as her daughter slumped on her shoulder, asleep. It was around lunchtime, and the Busby’s had went to the café to get something to eat. The ginger didn’t move, for the sake of Ellie’s rest, the poor girl not having a wink of it since this fiasco began. But she needed to find a way to calm her racing heart.

Patsy closed her eyes and tried determinedly to think of something happy for a change.

What made her happiest?

Delia. Without a doubt, without a second thought.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Patsy began to procure all of her thoughts on Delia.

Naturally, she began to think of their wedding night.

*Flashbacks*

~The sound of waves crashing on the beach through the open windows was drowned out by heavy moans and proclamations of love~

Patsy leaned her head forward and began to breathe through her nose.

~The moonlight alighted on their skin, making it appear stark white. Patsy riding Delia’s fingers and coming apart at the seams, crying out her name as the brunette brought utter ecstasy to every fiber of her being~

~Delia’s flushed cheeks as her dimples contorted them, smiling belatedly down at Patsy, lust in her eyes, bodies moving rhythmically against each other, pleasure suffusing them until they felt they would burst~

Patsy’s heartbeat began to slow.

~Love was in every movement, the reason behind every look and touch; the tenderness in their gestures made everything even more sacred, amplifying the meaning behind the titles they had just adopted only a few hours ago~

Patsy’s breathing deepened.

~Watching pleasure come over Delia as the brunette sweetly cried out, tears in her eyes before Patsy swiftly kissed them away~

The tension in Patsy’s limbs began to dissipate and she relaxed slightly.

~Finally collapsing on the bed, exhausted and sweaty, suppressing their giggles as the first rays of dawn touched the horizon~

Patsy’s body completely relaxed and she found a soft smile on her lips as she remembered that night in vivid detail. The reflection was not a moment of sensuality for her, but rather a tender memory, reminding her of the happy love that they shared. Glancing at the clock, Patsy returned to her silent vigil, praying that everything would turn out okay.


	7. To Dream During a Surgery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delia dreaming during the surgery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because hospital drugs mess you up

Delia was having the weirdest dream.

She was walking through London, though the streets were deserted accept for these life-sized gummy bears that were meandering around casually. She thought nothing of it, in fact it seemed very acceptable that there would be gigantic gummy bears walking the streets of London. She paused at a street to let a sizable herd of unicorns to cross in front of her. One of the beasts turned and began to talk to her.

“Aren’t you late for something?” it snorted in a deep voice.

Delia simply shrugged. She had no idea what it was talking about.

With a toss of its silvery mane, he trotted off to join the group that was plodding away. Looking after it in awe, she missed a short figure march up to her knee and nudge her.

It was a bloody gnome.

“Come along, you’re late! The queen was expecting you ages ago!” it squeaked shrilly, grasping her hand and tugging her forward impatiently. 

“What?” Delia stuttered.

The next moment, they stood in a large darkened room and before a large, toad-like woman who glared down at her. She wore a pink suit but her hair was shaped in the form of a heart.

“You are late! Off with her head!”

Delia suddenly realized she was in some sort of cross-over nightmare involving Professor Umbridge and the Queen of Hearts. She just stood there numbly as two guards shaped as cards marched forward, raised and axe and swung…

Delia was in a kneeling position, glancing over barricade at an armored figure that was being shot at. Glancing over, she spotted Patsy next to her, shooting wildly at the figure. 

“Ah, there you are! Quick, I think we are breaching its defenses!” Patsy said, before leaping over the balustrade and running at the hulking figure, shouting incoherently and shooting still. The figure brought up a large sword and before Delia could shout, the ginger was skewered and her body disappeared with a flash of blue light.

“Pats!” Delia yelled in shock.

“What are you still doing here?!” a voice demanded beside her.

Stunned, Delia turned and saw Patsy had reappeared at her elbow, now brandishing a grenade launcher. 

“I’ve already regenerated ten times, I think it’s you turn to take a shot at it!” Patsy said, shoving the weapon in Delia’s hands and throwing her around the barricade.

That’s what it was. A video game.

With a sigh, Delia jogged at the figure and pulled the trigger, though it seemed to have no effect on it whatsoever. She neared it and the creature struck, and she disappeared in a flash of light. 

She did this for an indiscernible amount of time. Reappearing at the back of the assault, moving forward amongst people she knew only to spy the creature up close, arm herself and run at it mindlessly. She’d then be mortally struck and the cycle would start anew. While she was having fun, being killed over and over again without away progress was getting rather tiresome. With a sigh, she threw her assault rifle down after emptying it and angrily walked up to the creature, armed with nothing. The armed figure cocked a helmeted head and appeared to gaze at her curiously. 

“Well?!” Delia demanded.

The thing, whatever it was, chuckled before reached out and twisting Delia over, to where she was bent backwards, her neck exposed. With a hiss of steel, she felt a sharp sting and soon she felt the warmth of blood cascading down her front and filling her mouth as she gurgled in alarm…


	8. A Strange Sensation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delia partially wakes up; her thoughts on her current situation
> 
> Please leave a comment!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When people go under for surgery, often more than not, they begin to believe its the night before, not the actual surgery. I don't know why, and one doesn't really believe it until it happens to them. Let me tell you, its very disorienting.

Delia gave a start, coming to her senses in darkness. She had no idea how long she lay there, not thinking; it could have been a minute or a whole eternity. She then began to sense that she in fact had limbs, though she didn’t know where they were.

She knew she had limbs because she felt her fingers, and her hands, and her wrists, as well as her toes, feet and ankles. But in space, she couldn’t for the life of her figure out where they were. For a moment she was worried, but then she realized how spectacularly marvelous it was to have limbs in the first place! If she could feel them, then she would place them later; that was merely a minor detail. Then she sensed her throat and her mouth, remarkably intact, and her torso. But then she realized that she FELT something stroking her back.

The movement was gentle and started just below her shoulder blades and ended at the small of her back. She knew she wasn’t stroking her own back, how could she if she didn’t know where her body was in space?! Delia began to cautiously stretch her mind, testing her senses.

She felt pressure on one side of her body…was she laying on her side? She had a dry, metallic taste in her mouth as she swallowed. She breathed in and for the first time registered scent, smelling a pungent odor that slightly burned her nose. She then heard sounds, which blended together and didn’t really amount to much of anything in her mind. For a moment, she concentrated on her back.

The thing, whatever it was, seemed to follow her spine, so she continued down and finally discovered her legs! They were bent at the knee, curving her spine as she lay curled up. From her shoulder blades she then easily placed her arms, tucked against her chest. Very pleased with this discovery, Delia pondered the sounds she was hearing and the stroking of her back. There was a lilting tone, which was followed by another familiar lower tone. Where those…voices? Delia didn’t know; while she heard them, she definitely could not make out what they were saying. No bother.

The stroking continued and Delia found that she rather enjoyed the feeling. It was gentle and reassuring, and after a few minutes of thought, she had another epiphany.

Patsy!

Of course, now the low voice and the stroking made sense! She felt that she was forgetting something rather important, but she brushed it off, not wanting to worry about it. Instead, she took pleasure in remembering Patsy; how on earth could she have forgotten her?!

Delia toyed with the idea of moving but stopped. She found that if she could in fact move, (she actually wasn’t sure if she could at that point), she was quite comfortable where she was, and to be completely honest, was beginning to get very drowsy, even though she was technically semiconscious. 

And if Patsy was sitting there stroking her back in the middle of the night and speaking with someone in their room, (again, why was there someone in their room?!), it didn’t matter if Delia fell back asleep, Patsy was watching over her. She was safe. And she needed sleep.

Wait.

Why did she say that?

Delia felt her heart quicken.

Oh…SHIT.

She had CANCER surgery tomorrow!

How the hell did she forget?!

Oh dear, she thought, she had to stop thinking about it if she was going to get some sleep.

But of course, as one tries to NOT think of something, that thought comes to the front of their minds and for a moment, everything becomes an angry cluster-fuck. Delia tried to restrain her desperation, because if she moved her newly found limbs then she would only wake-up even more, and be even further away from her goal.

But she felt a mumbled moan escape her lips, and the voices stopped, and Patsy’s hand froze in the center of her back. 

No, Pats, she thought, don’t stop!

She released another soft whine.

The rubbing continued, but as she went to continue her explorations of her body, she distinctly heard the words, “More morphine.”

Delia was about to wonder where on earth and why the hell Patsy had morphine, but then she was plunged back into her waking dreams.


	9. Patience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Patsy does when Delia comes out of Surgery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!

Patsy rubbed Delia’s back rhythmically as she spoke quietly with Trixie and Barbara around the hospital bed.

“…he said it looks good,” Trixie was saying to Barbara, filling her in, “he’ll check over the tests tomorrow, but he doesn’t think she’ll need chemo.”

Trixie had arrived a few hours before Delia came out of surgery, and was there to harass the matron into letting them see Delia. They never let visitors see family members so soon in post-op, but Trixie and Patsy were very persuasive and their medical professions didn’t go unnoticed. The only condition was that Ellie and the Busby’s were in no way qualified to go back there, so after a swift conversation, it was settled and the two were led back.

The pair had seen surgeries, had even assisted in some occasions, but it was weird to see Delia laying on the large bed, several wires connecting her to various monitors as she came off the anesthesia. A cloth covered her eyes as was customary, for it was so soon after surgery that she still had her breathing tube in. The room was frigid, but the nurses had placed a thick blanket over Delia and had even put fuzzy pink socks on her feet. The two midwives rushed over to her bed, Patsy brushing a thumb over a partially covered cheek and Trixie looking down forlornly. They stayed until the nurse urged them back into the waiting room.

When they returned, they found Phyllis conversing lightly with Mrs. and Mr. Busby was Ellie listening impassively. Mildly surprised that the senior midwife had shown, they hugged and discussed Delia’s current condition with everyone. Phyllis could only stay for so long however, so she left an hour later, leaving a box of assorted chocolates.

They finally brought Delia back to them at a little after six at night, and Patsy instantly posted herself at her side and began to rub her back. The breathing tube was gone, along with most of the wires and monitors. Delia breathed deeply and evenly, obviously still under the effects of drugs, so everyone spoke in hushed tones if they felt the need to say something. Around seven, Delia began to stir, but she only released a distant moan, in which the present nurse insisted on administering more morphine. The brunette quickly quieted after that.

At eight, a nurse came by and said that all visitors needed to leave. Patsy hugged Delia’s parents, kissed her daughter on her cheek, and bid farewell to Trixie and Barbara.

The nurse came back around at 8:30 to deposit a blanket and pillow for Patsy to sleep on, but she was swift to forgo it and crawl next to her wife on the hospital bed.


	10. Some Good News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delia wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delia on drugs though

Delia was suddenly aware of her senses.

She was curled in fetal position and lay next to Patsy, who she could hear breathing next to her. Delia curled her toes and discovered that she was wearing fuzzy socks; a pleasant surprise, but she did not recall putting them on. Too content to move, and feeling actually a little woozy, Delia lay there, dreading the upcoming surgery.

She felt Patsy stir.

“Pat-sy,” Delia slurred, finding her tongue to feel thick and numb.

The movement froze.

“Deels?” Patsy mumbled back, probably just then waking up.

“I don’ wanna go to-day,” Delia garbled, eyes firmly shut.

“Go where, sweetie?” Patsy questioned, sounding more awake.

“The sur-gery,” she said, exasperated. There was an odd pause.

“Delia, you’ve already had the surgery,” Patsy said back, sounding both surprised and amused.

“…huh?”

“Yes. You are waking up from it now.”

For the first time, Delia cracked an eye open to glower at her wife. Patsy’s face took a moment to come into focus, but when it did, Delia’s eyes widened. They were not in their bedroom. The brunette looked down at her hands and saw the IV plastered to the back of her hand, and the clamp on her forefinger. As realization and memories began to flood back, Delia raised her eyebrows.

“…oh,” she said softly. Patsy smiled ruefully back at her, her face barely visible in the dimness. Patsy stroked Delia’s cheek with her thumb. Delia leaned into the touch, her muscles cramping from being in the same position for so long.

“What happened?” the brunette asked softly as Patsy scooted even closer, resting a hand on Delia’s elbow. 

“You were brilliant,” Patsy purred, “The doctor says he’ll look at the tests tomorrow, but he thinks he got all of it.”

Delia smiled sleepily.

Patsy moved closer and gently kissed Delia, the brunette’s lips still numb and sluggish as she tried to kiss back. When the ginger pulled back, Delia went to move her arms, but then seemed to decide against it.

A concerned look flashed across Patsy’s face.

“Are you in pain?” Patsy asked anxiously.

“No.”

Okay, that was partially a lie.

When Delia went to move her upper limbs, she became aware of the left side of her chest beginning to ache, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. Patsy frowned, not believing her wife.

“I can ring for a nurse, Deels, you can get more morphine.”

“Well, allow me some time with you sober,” Delia scoffed, using her right hand to tug at Patsy’s shirt. With a smirk, Patsy complied and crawled even closer, until their bodies were flush against each other. Patsy placed an arm underneath Delia’s head and the brunette used it as a pillow, her own hand trailing along Patsy’s side. With her free hand, Patsy wriggled underneath Delia’s thick blanket, her bare feet brushing up against Delia’s legs.

“You’re feet are freezing,” Delia complained.

“Well, I’m sorry, I forgot to ask for fuzzy socks,” Patsy said sardonically, adding a playful smile as she tucked her feet beneath a fold of the blanket.

“What time is it?” Delia asked, suppressing a yawn. The ginger glanced at her wristwatch.

“Eleven,” she whispered, snuggling closer to Delia.

“How’s…how’s Ellie?” Delia asked hoarsely. Patsy’s fingers idly stroked Delia’s tresses thoughtfully.

“I think she’s okay,” Patsy said slowly, “She got some sleep during the surgery, but I could tell she was a little freaked out.”

Delia’s face fell.

“I miss her,” Delia whimpered.

“I do too,” Patsy sighed, “but right now, you need to focus on getting better.”

Delia rolled her eyes, but fell silent. She could now feel her heart beat throbbing as the ache from her chest began to fall in waves.

“Deels…” Patsy murmured, seeing her wife wince.

“Maybe now’s a good time for that morphine,” Delia whispered wryly. Patsy leaned back and pressed a buzzer on the wall.

“I’ll have to make out of here like Speedy Gonzales,” Patsy said, beginning to disentangle their limbs.

“Pats, no,” Delia said sharply, “We just got comfortable.”

The ginger stopped and spared her wife a scandalous look.

“We are breaking hospital rules,” Patsy said neutrally.

“And I had cancer surgery,” Delia sniffed, “Forgive me if I don’t give a damn about hospital regulations.”

Patsy flashed the other a smile before snuggling back and wrapping her in a hug. Pressing their foreheads together, Delia hummed happily, despite the growing ache in her chest.

Several seconds later, the door creaked open and a nurse slipped inside.

She seemed to take a moment to absorb the scene, and then decided to not address it.

“Time for more morphine?” she asked gently.

“Please,” Patsy said, smiling softly.

The nurse disappeared momentarily before returning with a syringe and a large glass vial. She upturned the vial and extracted a sizable amount of morphine before approaching Delia’s IV stand.

“This should last you all night,” she said, removing the cover off the port in the line, “If not, we’ll switch to Norco.” Patsy and Delia raised their eyebrows at this.

The nurse inserted the needle and pushed the plunger down before removing it and replacing the cover.

“There you go! Have a good night!”

“Thank you,” Patsy murmured, watching as a glazed look came over Delia.

The nurse left and Patsy leant forward to capture Delia’s numb lips with hers.

“Good night, my love,” Patsy said softly, sadly.

“Pats…” Delia whimpered drowsily, a fog encompassing her and making everything fuzzy.

“I’ll be right here when you wake up, darling, don’t you worry,” Patsy breathed, leaning in for another kiss.

“Car-i-ad, I… ‘uv… ooooh…” Delia slurred, eyes fluttering as she struggled to keep them open.

“I love you too, so, so much.”

“Pa…‘sy.” Delia said softly. Patsy pressed their bodies flush against each other and kissed the tip of Delia’s nose before placing her forehead against the brunette’s.

“I’m right here,” Patsy murmured, “Now go to sleep.”

Delia only managed a soft, indignant snort before going silent, her breathing deepening as she fell into a deep, drug-induced sleep.


	11. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last post for this set! I'll add on a link so you can return to the original fic! Again, I'm so sorry I put you wonderful people through that, please forgive me!

The next morning a flood of people had gathered in the waiting room, as the clock neared eight o’clock. Delia knew none of this as Patsy and another nurse urged her into a wheelchair after breakfast, Patsy saying she wanted to go on a ‘walk’ with Delia, which was actually more like a ‘roll’. When they entered the waiting room, the crowd jumped up and Delia was bombarded with hugs, flowers, and balloons. In the back, standing quietly off to the side, was a gaggle of nuns who looked oddly out of place among their other friends and family.

When Delia saw them, she burst into tears.

Sister Julienne swept down and hugged Delia before taking her hands and smiling kindly down at the brunette. Next was Sister Mary Cynthia, who was much more exuberant, and then Sister Monica Joan, who said something about star alignment and Saturn. Lastly was Sister Winifred, who looked slightly bitter about being there, though she nevertheless bent down to give Delia a hug before stepping back as if the brunette was a snake.

The crowd finally sat down and conversation broke out as they discussed a multitude of things, having not seen each other for a good long while. Ellie came up to her parents who wrapped her into a large hug before she seated herself on the other side of Delia, talking softly with her Welsh mother. Trixie started speaking with Mrs. Busby, and Barbara had found herself stuck between Phyllis and Sister Monica Joan. They spoke until the clock tuned noon, and they were forced to disperse. 

*****^*****

The Busby-Mount family had been in the hospital for two days, and Patsy was in desperate need of a shower.

The doctors wished to observe Delia a little while longer, because the tumor had been in some muscle tissue, and they were worried about a relapse. Quite forlornly, Patsy expressed her need to Delia, who was playing cards with Trixie and Sister Mary Cynthia.

“Okay, cariad,” Delia had said, not exactly paying attention.

Patsy leant over and kissed Delia on the cheek before the Welshwoman snatched her hand and pulled her in for a proper kiss, which was odd, kissing in front of a nun. Smiling gently, Patsy turned to Ellie, who had been trying to teach Trixie how to play, but it appeared that she wasn’t doing a terribly good job. Her daughter glanced up at her mother’s expectant look before she scrambled up and bid farewell to Delia before the two departed.

The thing was, Patsy had something else in mind as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyperlink to return to original work
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/6982558/chapters/17056966


End file.
